Downtown's Steel should step up, be proud

Review

Casey Anthony wasn't the only one hiding out by the Bank of America building in downtown Orlando last weekend.

Steel, a beautiful new nightclub, also appears to be hiding behind the bank building. The club is on State Lane, one block west from the main drag of North Orange Avenue, between West Robinson Avenue and West Livingston Street.

Also hiding were the customers. I was one of maybe 10 folks in the entire space when I visited late last Friday around 1 a.m.

Not that this is the norm. I also stopped by Steel during happy hour a couple of weeks ago (two-for-one wells and domestics from 4-10 p.m. daily) and it had a fairly healthy crowd of around 40 people by the time I left. But it was the first night a certain celebrity bartender was working (I'll get back to that later).

This past Friday I had just missed a performance by a female impersonator (who actually sang, according to people who saw the show) and either the performance was horrible or no one knew it actually was happening. I'm going to go with the latter. And the main reason for that is that the club is promoting itself all wrong.

Steel needs to come out of the closet.

Steel's crowd is mostly gay. The wait staff is, too. They're not hiding it, they're proud of it. The club should be as well.

For years, I've heard complaints from friends and readers that downtown Orlando needs a full-time LGBT nightclub. This is it, yet when I spoke with management a few weeks back they wanted to stick with the label "alternative."

Gay or alternative, it's still a cool, little club.

The last time I was in the space at 360 State Lane, it was called Screamers and its narrow, dark entranceway into the main room resembled a house from Halloween Horror Nights. Wooden beams and drapes here and there had me close to screaming. Now, the narrow room is a polished bar with steel fixtures (of course) and large open seating where folks can grab a drink or play one of the board games stacked along the wall. My favorite feature is the chandelier: It looks as if someone scraped a silver ribbon with a scissor blade letting loose curls of silver and light from the ceiling.

The back of the club also has been prettied up. A bar is along the left side of the room, leaving ample room for dancing and booths. There is no smoking at Steel, but you can light up on the back patio. Don't expect the decor to extend to this space. A metal fence keeps you inside and away from the train tracks — literally within spitting distance of the tables. The upside: $2 shots every time a train passes.

The bartenders will keep you coming back to Steel. Not only cute, but personable — more than happy to chat it up with the crowd. And the drinks are strong! By my second pineapple and vanilla vodka my voice volume increased substantially — and the house music in the background wasn't that loud. Drinks are tasty and prices range around $5-$6 for a mixed drink.

Best of all, one of my favorite bartenders is slinging shots. Brian Humphries, formerly of Parliament House and Mr. Sisters, is a definite draw for folks familiar with his bartending talents.

Steel is already facing obstacles with its location. Not owning up to being a gay-friendly club only adds to its woes.

And that's a shame, because Steel has so much going for it: free parking (in the H2O Churchlot), no cover, fantastic atmosphere, friendly staff and killer drinks.